Lessons from loss

September 05, 2012 - Twenty-five seconds remained in the first half of the Wolves game against Stoney Creek last Thursday.

Clarkston had possession but they needed to do something fast or they were about to head into the second half behind 3-0.

The boys closed in on the net. Brandon Reynolds passed the ball back to Zach McCallum. McCallum crossed it over Alex Trim who sank it into the right corner of the net with 23.4 seconds to go.

"It was definitely one of the high points," said Clarkston Boys Varsity Soccer Coach Chuck Lawhorn. "It was a nice combination of passing up the sidelines. Reynolds made a great assist and Trim was in the right spot where he needed to be at the moment. He made a nice finish. Reynolds played very well."

The boys made another push for the Cougars net at the beginning of the second half but couldn't get it in, losing the game, 3-1.

"We had moments where we played really well," said Lawhorn. "We played well for 20-30 minutes where we maintained possession during that time. The rest of the time we had trouble controlling the ball and it led to a lot of turnovers in the middle and in the back. It led to scoring opportunities for Stoney Creek. We gave them too many opportunities and they were able to finish. Stoney Creek played well."

Lawhorn added the boys can reflect on how well they played in spurts and build upon it to play an entire 80-minute game instead of 20 minute spurts.

"It seems as soon as we let down our guard and relax too much the other team is able to strike," he said. "We will put it together sooner rather than later but we definitely have to put in more work before that happens."

He pointed out the boys also have to find the midfield players more.

"We need to get them the ball so they can play forward and not negative passes backwards. We need to give the midfielders some space and let them be creative," Lawhorn added.

The boys made three shots on the net while sophomore Grant Gotaas had two saves in the net for his first varsity game.

"He was communicating well," said Lawhorn. "He made a couple of mistakes but I think he was just nervous. Overall he did a good job."

The Wolves head to Rochester on Wednesday and host Troy Athens on Sept. 11.

"Rochester is a pretty good team," said Lawhorn. "They have some returning players this year at the top. They have a couple of solid players in the middle. They are definitely going to be a challenge. They are another top team in our division."

Wendi graduated from the University of Michigan-Flint with a degree in communications. She wrote for the Michigan Times college paper and Grand Blanc View before joining The Clarkston News in October 2007.